Monday, October 17, 2011

This last weekend I was in Little Rock, participating at the Sculpture in the Park Show. This was the fifth annual show. It is a very well organized show with 44 nationally well known artists participating. It was an honor to be surrounded by so much talent in one small place on earth. To name a few: Clay Enoch who owns a talent that diffuses from every single piece of clay he touches. And Jane DeDecker, whose work I have been admiring since I came across her work in a Santa Fe Gallery years before I have even started sculpting.

The people of Little Rock are extremely supportive and nice. It was a pleasure to watch the constant change of expressions coming forth over their faces while looking at my sculptures. What is also interesting and informative for me is getting their opinions which they share without hesitation. Since sculpture ideas evolve in my mind for a long time until after they become real they become like good friends to me. When I finally create them I have a feeling of love for them. So hearing about them is like learning about a new side of a close friend’s personality.

It was the first time I released many of my sculptures at the show. The Depths of Mind of a human figure representing remembrance of our pasts was the most recent one. Reminiscence about events, people, and places in the past is similar to going down into a hole with a rope with this piece. Consciously or involuntarily we retrieve some essence of our past from the depths of mind. What we can gather help elucidate our personalities. One visitor said it reminds her of the saying she uses quite a bit: Tie a nut to the end of the rope when you are at the end of it” meaning hang on as much as you can when you are going through difficult times.

Another viewer pointed out that the timing was very good for this sculpture with all the ongoing demonstrations driven by the anger over unprecedented levels of social inequality. Three years after the financial meltdown on Wall Street, unemployment and declining wages persist and deepen alongside record profits and increasing wealth for the top one percent. A person’s fear looking down to an unknown future can also be seen in my figure’s face with a completely different point of view.

Picasso has once said: "Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." My soul after seeing all this beautiful works of art this weekend is now fresher.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

My goal as an artist is creating timeless art that touches people and captures their imagination. Rather than creating a photographic likeliness, I aim to bring out the “truth” of a person portrayed with passions, ideals, personal boundaries and desires. To do this I simplify forms and “suggest” rather than “define” what I see and avoid a cold resemblance and too many details. I also like my work to convey emotions. Emotions are the greatest potential source of uniting human beings and I believe they allow my art to offer a piece of life.

The creation process for me evolves in a couple phases. I believe when creating is in someone’s blood one observes in a different way and becomes more welcoming to conceptual ideas from immediate surroundings. I let ideas grow in me before even exploring ways of turning them into appealing forms. Then I sculpt. I love every step of it.

Most of my sculptures are bronze which starts with clay, but I also work with stone, cement, resin, plaster and found objects. I continuously learn from past and present art but try not to limit myself with existing definitions of art.

I have been creating as long as I remember. I started with painting at an early age. When I was first introduced to sculpture at a later period I fell in love with it. I was fascinated at being able to feel what I create. I feel blessed that I have the time, ability and desire to create and I hope that I can continue creating as long as I live.

About me

Sculpting is a way to communicate for me, a way to record my emotions and perspectives. It provides an imagery where I can present my ideas and beliefs. I would like to see my work as a philosophical journey through the essential elements of life. When someone who comes across one of my sculptures steps out of time to question some of the basics in his life my purpose is fulfilled. Sculpting is an act of giving for me.

The endless narratives of the human figure are the main source of my work. For me sculpture is the aesthetic appreciation of beauty. But, beauty can be formed out of ugliness as long as it is presented poetically.

To me art is beautiful if it is simple and quiet. I sculpt the ideas offering the viewers the opportunity to self-reflect and connect with them through their own experiences. A cold resemblance takes away the validity of the figure’s existence.

The soul of a sculpture lies in the emotions and reflections of the sculptor and how well the technique is utilized. When it is time for the realization of an idea, I start sculpting. There is always a call to make a sculpture, but the result is unknown even though I know why I am making it.

Creating is exhausting, but joyful. I love working with clay which responds to my hands but hand has its own dreams. I stop when I see my idea born together with some solid life in the sculpture.